Drawer of furniture



(Model.) l

W. H. JOHNSON 85 J. WHOMES.

Drawer of Furniture, Store Fixture, 8vo." No. 242,456. Patented June 7,1881.

NITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON AND JOSEPH WHOMES, OF TERRELL, TEXAS.

DRAWER OF FURNITURE, STORE-FIXTURES, 84C..

SPECIFICATION forming part of-Letters Patent No. 242,456, dated June 7,1881.

Application filed Januaiy 3, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom 'it may concern Y Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. Jol-IN- soN and JOSEPH WHoMEs, both citizens oi' Terrell, in the county of Kaufman and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Drawers of Furniture, Store-Fixtures, and Closets, Recesses, or Hallways hetween Rooms ofD veiling-Houses, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of our invention consists, lirst, in a drawer applied upon side cleats or ledges, grooved longitudinally with the movement of the drawer, and having balls placed in suoli grooves in such a manner that they are kept separated and are free to roll and move lon gitudinally, and that they serve as bearings for the drawer, while they keep it from frictional contact with the cleats or ledges; second, in a novel mode of construction of cleats or supports for the balls, as will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view ot' ordinary drawers in a casing provided with our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. l at right angles to the direction of movement of the drawers. Fig. 3 is a similar section through one of the sides of a drawer and through one ot' the cleats or ledges and the casing. Fig. 4 is aperspeotive view of one of our improved cleats or ledges with balls and partitioned groove.

In carrying out our invention the casings A and drawers B will be constructed about the same as usual; butthe drawer-supports of the casin gs will be substantially as follows:

On each side of drawway of the casing A, and immediately under the side pieces, b, of a drawer, B, a cleat or ledge, O O', will be applied. These cleats or ledges are grooved longitudinall y, and the form of the groove is semicylindrical in cross-section, as indicated at c in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

On top of the portion C of the cleat the strips O' are screwed, as indicated at a. These strips are formed with an inner curved edge, c', which forms a concentric continuation of the semicylindrical groove c. The semi-cylindrical portion of the groove thus formed is partitioned, as at d, and thus separated chambers for the reception of anti-friction balls D are formed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The partitions keep the balls separated, but do not interfere with their moving back and forth in the groove of the cleat or ledge while they are revolving. The balls are placed in the semi-cylindrical portion c of the groove before the strips C are screwed to their places. linen the balls are in place their highest portions extend a little beyond the top surface of the strips O', and on these highest portions the drawer rests, and it, in thus resting on the balls, is held isolated from frictional contact with the cleats, and consequently it can be moved with the greatest ease, there being no chance for it to bind in the drawway ofthe casing. The balls, by having freedom to travel longitudinally with the drawer in the semi-cylindrical groove and between the cleats or ledges, are not liable to stick or bind between the drawer and the cleats or ledges, and they also, by being separated by the partitions, cannot be jammed against one another, and thereby prevented from rolling f freely. p

Our invention will be found very useful in almost every instance where a free longitudinal movement of a drawer or other analogous device is required.

In practice the grooves in the cleats might be cut in a single piece of metal or wood, and have a forni in transverse section similar to that produced by the two pieces C C. In suoli construction the balls would be inserted into the grooves endwise of the cleats and the partitions or stops applied after the balls were in their places. This plan of construction is shown at C2 on the left-hand drawer in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In some instances simply semi-cylindrical grooves with partitions and balls might be used.

Previous to our invention drawers have been provided with wheels for the purpose of reducing friction. Balls in a connected mass have been employed in an endless way formed by an elliptical chamber divided by a horizontal partition, and such balls, by crowding upon one another, have been caused to travel in mass in said way when force was applied upon a platform to which the chamber containing the halls is attached.

Our invention has reference to an improvement in drawers or articles which are moved back and forth upon their supports or cleats,

IOO

and the special feature of our invention is the means whereby the respective balls are coniined in a groove and allowed longitudinal travel in such groove both backward and forward on the same plane, and are kept from coming in contact with eachother. This construction is embraced in all ot' the proposed means we have described for combining balls with a drawer, and we believe it is a novel construction in the relation we have described and shown.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the drawer, grooved and partitioned cleats, and balls which revolve and travel longitudinally in the saine plane bac-k and forth in the grooves ofthe cleats, substantially as and for the purpose described.

WILLIAM H. JOHNSON. JOSEPH VHOMES.

Witnesses to the signature of Villiam H. Johnson:

H. JACKSON, NV. P. FORD. Witnesses to signature of Joseph NVhonies:

ARTHUR XV. ANDREWS, W. L. HUFF. 

